Greens councillor Rohan Leppert to run for lord mayor of Melbourne

Melbourne City councillor Rohan Leppert will run for lord mayor in a bid to see The Greens capture their first town hall in an Australian capital city.

Cr Leppert, 33, was elected to Melbourne City Council in 2012 and heads its arts, culture and heritage portfolio.

He is also deputy chair of planning, and has been outspoken on many development issues.

Melbourne City councillor Rohan Leppert will run for lord mayorCredit:Justin McManus

He has been one of the highest profile critics of the Andrews government’s plans to allow Apple to tear down a significant chunk of Federation Square and replace it with an Apple store.

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Cr Leppert said it was crucial developers in Melbourne were held to account, and with five and a half years’ experience on the council he was well placed to do this if he was elected lord mayor.

“Development is going gangbusters and the City of Melbourne has two choices: build community infrastructure or govern in the interest of property developers. I’m really keen to make sure Melbourne remains just as liveable and vibrant as it is now.”

A by-election for lord mayor is being held after Robert Doyle resigned last month following accusations of sexual harassment made against him. He denies the allegations.

If Cr Leppert loses the by-election, he will remain a councillor. If he wins, a Greens candidate from the 2016 election, Apsara Sabaratnam, would be elected to council in his place.

He said his priorities would include affordable housing in the inner city, supporting the city’s culture and vibrancy, and an open and “collegiate council with a reputation for good governance”.

Rohan Leppert with supporter and former lord mayor Lecki Ord. "Running for lord mayor is a job application, not the Logies," she says.

State Greens MP for Melbourne, Ellen Sandell, said he would be excellent in the role, and that voters could “make history in Melbourne by electing our first openly gay lord mayor”.

Cr Leppert also has the support of former Labor lord mayor Lecki Ord. She led the council in 1987 and 1988.

“I think he’s excellently qualified for the job,” she said. “And [running for lord mayor] is a job application, not the Logies. We want someone who can do the job.”

She said he would “hit the ground running, is across the issues, knows the background, and he knows how the council works”.

The 70-year-old Ms Ord said Cr Leppert would both “speak clearly on behalf of the council” because of years of experience but also “get some youth back to the town hall”.

Cr Leppert is the fourth candidate to confirm he will run for lord mayor. Property Council chief Sally Capp, successful entrepreneur Ken Ong, businessman and pollster Gary Morgan have also announced they will run in the by-election, to be held in May.

Former federal MP and womens rights spokesman Phil Cleary may also run for the job.